The launch of Sputnik, the world's first artificial Earth orbiting satellite, by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957 was a triggering event. Before Sputnik pressure had been rising to mobilize America's intellectual resources to be more effective and useful in dealing with the Cold War. Sputnik released that pressure by stirring up a mixture of American hysteria, wounded self-esteem, fears of missile attacks, and deep questioning of the intellectual capabilities of popular democratic society and its educational system. After Sputnik the federal government took several remarkable actions: President Eisenhower established the position of Presidential Science Advisor; the House and the Senate reorganized their committee structures to focus on science policy; Congress created NASA -- the National Aeronautics and Space Agency -- and charged it to create a civilian space program; they tripled funding for the National Science Foundation to support basic research but also to improve science education and draw more young Americans into science and engineering; and they passed the National Defense Education Act which involved the federal government to an unprecedented extent with all levels of American education. I will describe some pre-Sputnik pressures to change American education, review some important effects of the subsequent changes, and talk about one major failure of change fostered by the national government.
Education and Federal Assistance
Washington gave the new science curriculum an infusion of more than a billion dollars when it passed the National Defense Education Act in 1958 — big money back then. Gerry Wheeler, former head of the National Science Teachers Association, says the new focus made science sexy.
"I signed up and was accepted at a special summer program," Wheeler recalls. "I was able to choose my field — I chose physics — and we covered a full year of high school physics in six weeks." In classrooms, educational tools began to change. Lab kits and overhead projectors were added, and educational films became part of the curriculum. The era also saw the beginning of a new federal involvement in education that would spread out in all directions in the coming years. The government beefed up its agencies with an alphabet soup of science organizations, many of which still survive. Within a decade, enrollment in higher education institutions jumped significantly and nearly one-third of university scientists and engineers were involved in some capacity in weapons research for the United States government. America had accepted the challenge to equal, and surpass, Soviet Union technological capabilities. But the rivalry and distrust between the two countries intensified, as each side substantially increased its military might.
The Soviet's success with Sputnik, coupled with the demand from politicians to close the apparent missile gap, pushed Eisenhower to act. He first prepared a plan to increase the defense budget. Fearing that Soviet technological advancements posed viable threats to national security, anxious legislators voted to give the president the money he requested and more to bolster defense programs. By the end of the year, the United States placed intermediate-range ballistic missiles in strategic locations around the world, including Britain, Italy, and Turkey.Eisenhower also supported the creation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to coordinate space efforts. In 1958, he introduced the Mercury program and the first seven U.S. astronauts—Alan Shepard, John Glenn, Walter Schirra, Scott Carpenter, Donald Slayton, Virgil Grissom, and Gordon Cooper. The new organization quickly developed a program to send a man into orbit before 1959. Delays, however, forced America's first manned space flight, commanded by Shepard, to take place more than two years later.
The steping Stone For New Technological Advancements After sputnik was lunched America was playing catch up to try to out due the Soviet Union, because America had to push themselves into putting more emesis on over coming these great obstacles a new age was born, a new age of great innovation and technological advancements which all came out of the Soviets launch of sputnik which enraged America to achieve more. which led to such knew technologies like memory foam, barcodes, Communications Satellites, Bubble Wrap, Optical Fiber, Digital Clocks, freeze-dried food, Joy-sticks and many more.
Hysteria and cultural Impact
During this time period America went into a after the launch of Soviet, American people were afraid of Soviets ability to launch missiles and nuclear bombs from space using the satellites. The fear of such terrible acts of injustice made America hysteric everybody was afraid of an attack people started to construct such things as bungers or bomb shelters to protect hem selves from nuclear attacks. Even the government was as hysteric as its people Kennedy even promoted bomb shelters and for people everywhere to take caution due to Soviet’s launch of the Sputnik.
Education and Federal Assistance
Washington gave the new science curriculum an infusion of more than a billion dollars when it passed the National Defense Education Act in 1958 — big money back then. Gerry Wheeler, former head of the National Science Teachers Association, says the new focus made science sexy.
"I signed up and was accepted at a special summer program," Wheeler recalls. "I was able to choose my field — I chose physics — and we covered a full year of high school physics in six weeks." In classrooms, educational tools began to change. Lab kits and overhead projectors were added, and educational films became part of the curriculum. The era also saw the beginning of a new federal involvement in education that would spread out in all directions in the coming years. The government beefed up its agencies with an alphabet soup of science organizations, many of which still survive. Within a decade, enrollment in higher education institutions jumped significantly and nearly one-third of university scientists and engineers were involved in some capacity in weapons research for the United States government. America had accepted the challenge to equal, and surpass, Soviet Union technological capabilities. But the rivalry and distrust between the two countries intensified, as each side substantially increased its military might.
The Soviet's success with Sputnik, coupled with the demand from politicians to close the apparent missile gap, pushed Eisenhower to act. He first prepared a plan to increase the defense budget. Fearing that Soviet technological advancements posed viable threats to national security, anxious legislators voted to give the president the money he requested and more to bolster defense programs. By the end of the year, the United States placed intermediate-range ballistic missiles in strategic locations around the world, including Britain, Italy, and Turkey.Eisenhower also supported the creation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to coordinate space efforts. In 1958, he introduced the Mercury program and the first seven U.S. astronauts—Alan Shepard, John Glenn, Walter Schirra, Scott Carpenter, Donald Slayton, Virgil Grissom, and Gordon Cooper. The new organization quickly developed a program to send a man into orbit before 1959. Delays, however, forced America's first manned space flight, commanded by Shepard, to take place more than two years later.
The steping Stone For New Technological Advancements
After sputnik was lunched America was playing catch up to try to out due the Soviet Union, because America had to push themselves into putting more emesis on over coming these great obstacles a new age was born, a new age of great innovation and technological advancements which all came out of the Soviets launch of sputnik which enraged America to achieve more. which led to such knew technologies like memory foam, barcodes, Communications Satellites, Bubble Wrap, Optical Fiber, Digital Clocks, freeze-dried food, Joy-sticks and many more.
Hysteria and cultural Impact
During this time period America went into a after the launch of Soviet, American people were afraid of Soviets ability to launch missiles and nuclear bombs from space using the satellites. The fear of such terrible acts of injustice made America hysteric everybody was afraid of an attack people started to construct such things as bungers or bomb shelters to protect hem selves from nuclear attacks. Even the government was as hysteric as its people Kennedy even promoted bomb shelters and for people everywhere to take caution due to Soviet’s launch of the Sputnik.